Third suspect arrested over killing of British journalist Dom Phillips in the Amazon

19 June 2022, 14:32

A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the deaths of British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon rainforest.

Mr Phillips' killing was confirmed after forensic tests on remains found in a remote area of the Amazon, Brazilian federal police said.

Other remains that were discovered are believed to belong to Mr Pereira - who was Mr Phillips' guide.

Police said Jefferson da Silva Lima, known as Pelado da Dinha, has turned himself in at the police station in Atalaia do Norte in the Amazon.

Officers said the suspect will be referred to a custody hearing.

Two other men are already being held over alleged involvement in the killings - Amarildo Oliveira, known as Pelado, and his brother, Oseney de Oliveira, known as Dos Santos.

Mr Phillips, 57, and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, 41, vanished from a remote part of the Amazon on June 5 in the Sao Rafael community.

On Friday, federal police said that human remains found in Brazil's remote Amazon area have been identified as belonging to 57-year-old Mr Phillips.

Additional remains found at the site near the city of Atalaia do Norte have not yet been identified but are expected to belong to Indigenous expert Mr Pereira, 41.

"The confirmation (of Phillips' remains) was made based on dental examinations and anthropological forensics," federal police said in a statement.

"Work is ongoing for a complete identification of the remains so we can determine the cause of death, and also the dynamics of the crime and the hiding of the bodies."

The remains were found on Wednesday, after fisherman Pelado allegedly confessed to killing the pair, and took police to the place where he buried the bodies.

He is said to have told officers that he used a firearm to kill both men.